Monday, July 20, 2015

Giambattista Valli Lipstick Collection by MAC




The Giambattista Valli lipsticks launched last week on July 9th, 2015. Giambattista is an amazing Parisian fashion designer who teamed up with MAC Cosmetics to create 5 beautiful shades for the summer. Here is my review of the lipsticks I purchased from this collection:







First Impression

The last time I purchased any MAC limited edition makeup collection was when they launched the Hello Kitty makeup line from 2009. 


After 2009, I have not really been impressed or felt the urge to purchase anything else from MAC's makeup collections; I noticed their products have gotten less pigmented over the years and I started to lose my interest until the Giambattista collection launched.


 The packaging really caught my eye, I loved the color choices and I really loved the designer they teamed up with. So I saved up my coins and ended up purchasing four out of the five lipsticks from the collection. 



 Light Test
I did a quick light test under 3 types of lighting to see what looks the most flattering.  The Bianca B lipstick looks almost white under the cool and flash lighting, which is not complimentary for women of color but I think the other shades look great under any lighting.
The colors look the most true under the pure white flash light.


Bianca B

Color
Bianca B is a pastel pink.  This shade is opaque so it comes out a bit chalky on dark skin tones.


Pastel lipsticks are not very flattering because you will end up looking really washed out and ashy. 


 I personally don't like this shade for myself on my entire lip, but I absolutely love it as a highlighter for pink lipsticks. 

Lipliner
I used lip liner "Hover" by MAC to try to make Bianca B more neutral on my lips.


Longevity
Nude colors tend to wash out fairly fast. Bianca B faded on me after two hours.

Duplicate
If you don't want to go out and spend $18 for a MAC lipstick, here is another brand Bianca B reminds me of: 



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Tats

Color
Hot Pink/ Magenta lipstick; compliments all skin tones.
I added Bianca B in the center of my lips to create an ombre effect.




Lipliner
I paired TATS lipstick with BEET lipliner by MAC

Longevity
This color lasted about 3-4 hours on me without any touchups

Duplicate
There are TONS of pink lipsticks all over the world; and if you're an artist on a budget, here's a duplicate for TATS

Ruby Kisses Ultra Matte Lipstick in "Gossip"
$2.99 at HouseofBeautyWorld.com


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Charlotte

Color
Deep Red with a slight orange undertone. The packaging has a more blue undertone which threw me off, but when applied it melted into my skin with a bit of an orange finish. I personally would use a much darker lipliner to create a true red tone on my lips.



Lipliner
I paired Charlotte with Cherry lipliner by MAC

Longevity
This has a pretty decent staying power, it lasted me about 4-5 hours without touchups.

Duplicate
Here's NYX to the rescue if you are trying to save some money

NYX Matte lipstick in "Pure Red" | $5.99 at Ulta.com

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Eugenie

Color
Plum/Brown shade, compliments every skin tone.
This shade is my absolute favorite!




Lipliner
I paired Eugenie with Currant Lip liner by MAC

Longevity
This has the same amount of staying power as Charlotte, about 4-5 hours without touchups.

Duplicate
Revlon actually carries a nice range of dark lipsticks, here is one that looks super similar to Eugenie:

 Revlon Black Cherry $7.99 | CVS.com


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Overall, I like these shades but I only LOVE one shade from the whole bunch. 
I hope MAC will keep collaborating with more amazing fashionistas and adding more unique collections to their line.